Leaving Neverland

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, clearly. I have come to the conclusion that it is time to leave Neverland. Neverland is a magical place where you never have to grow up, you can stay a kid forever. So...this means it is time for me to grow up. I feel like I am a fairly mature person and that I have always taken on a lot of responsibility for my age since I was in the seventh grade, but I have decided that I need to make some changes. I am graduating in eight months and will be heading out to the professional world, leaving the college scene behind, not the BYU is exactly what I would call a "college scene"...but you get the idea. I have spent a lot of time thinking about goals and organizing them. Since September I have been working on one goal at a time and letting them build on each other, because I believe that goals typically work best when you bite it off in small pieces. However, this time, I am going big. Full fledged. And although I won't be perfect at them all right away, they are goals that are designed to help make my life slightly more fulfilling than it is right now. They are as follows:

1. Go to bed by midnight every night. Yes, I understand that to some, this is not a big deal, but to those that know me, you know that I am very much a night owl, I am highly productive in the late hours of the night. But I know it is healthier and more responsible and will be key in goal 2. (There can be exceptions to this rule if it is a legit reason, but not often.)
2. Wake up between 7 and 7:30 each morning. Again...to some this isn't a big deal, but given that I stay up til two-ish each morning, it isn't very often that I see 7:30. Although I am productive at nights, if I get a good nights sleep and start my morning out right, I can be highly productive in mornings as well, better choice. The plan is to get up and go exercise either at the gym or running/biking outside, then go to classes. (perk of being an exercise science major: it is completely acceptable to show up to class sweaty.)
3. Use free time between class and work productively. AKA: don't just come home and take a nap. Get cleaned up and ready and work on any homework that can be accomplished in the alloted time period.
4. Eat Healthy. My eating habits as of late have been exceptionally terrible. Eating is a very social activity for me, it always has been. So not having somebody to eat with or to cook for makes it almost not even worth it to eat to me. I mean, I'm surviving, just not eating as much as I should and the healthy things that I should. I know better. So...three well rounded meals a day. Fruits and vegi's are a must. Don't buy them so you feel better about yourself and then let them spoil in the fridge anymore. Meat...necessary. I hate cooking it, but I must do it. Dairy...not an issue. My sister Kristi is the only person I've met that drinks more milk than me. Grains...not a biggie, I get lots of those, just make sure at least half of them are whole. :D
5. Create. I love creating by music, crafts, memories, etc. Pres. Uchtdorf says it best in this talk. Women have been given a divine gift to create. I love doing it, but I don't do it often enough. I want to spend a little bit of time creating each day, at least a few hours a week.
6. Offer service to others. I have a tendency to get wrapped up in my life and to not search out service opportunities. I mean if they smack me in the face, I'll do it, but I LOVE service activities, they make me so happy. No matter how big or small or how big of a difference I make, I just love to serve. My goal is to do small acts of service every day and a piece of meaningful service at least once a week.
7. Attend the temple more frequently. I go to the temple at least once a month, but I feel like that is really selfish of me. Saints all over the world give everything they have to make the journey to go to the temple for just one day of their lives. I have one two blocks away and can't make time to go more than once a month? Not ok. My goal is every other week but I am hoping to go weekly. Possibly one of my morning activities.
8. Sunday afternoon walks. I took my niece for a walk last Sunday, good life choice. Even if it is only for 10-20 minutes, it is a great opportunity to just take a moment to breathe. It allows time for reflection. And it provides an opportunity to take in your surroundings. I spend so much time just cooped up in class, work or my apartment. I love getting outside and taking in the magnificence that surrounds me. For whatever reason, it inspires balance.
9. Less internet time. I waste entirely too much time on the internet. Way toooooooooooo much time. Recently that is all I have done after midnight, thus shooting down my productivity. Most of my time is spent on facebook. Problem. My goal with that is no facebook creeping unless I am going to make some sort of contact with them. I need to spend more time expressing love and friendship to those I care rather than just facebook stalking them. Not ok. E-mail, not really a huge time consumer. Blog, justifiable. This is my journal, I can spend as much time on it as I feel necessary.
10. Continue on other life long goals. Daily scripture reading, morning prayers, bedtime prayers, making my bed every day, keeping my room clean, etc.

So childhood, at this point, I bid you farewell. I am opening a new chapter in my life and as much as I have loved you and as good as you have been to me, I must leave parts of you behind. At heart, I will always love to play and enjoy myself, but I feel like these goals will take those two things to an all time high in life. I am so excited about these goals. They will take time, but I'm gonna give it my all.